Ariarne Titmus ends her career. © APA/afp / JONATHAN NACKSTRAND

At only 25: Olympic champion retires

Four-time Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus from Australia surprisingly ends her active career at the age of just 25.

16 October 2025

From: dpa

The freestyle specialist announced this decision in a video and with a letter to her seven-year-old self on Instagram. The decision was "really difficult," she said, but she is now "very happy with it."

Titmus holds the world record for the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 1:52,23 minutes. She has won a total of eight gold medals at world championships and the Olympic Games. After a break following last year's Paris Summer Games, where she triumphed twice, it was expected that Titmus would make another attempt with an eye on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. But that is not happening now.

Health problems as a “turning point”

"I've always loved swimming; it's been my passion since I was a little girl," Titmus said. "But I think I took this time off from sports and realized that some things in my life that have always been important to me are now a little more important than swimming."

Ariarne Titmus is a four-time Olympic champion. © APA/afp / SEBASTIEN BOZON

In 2023, Titmus had two benign ovarian tumors removed, but she quickly returned to the world elite afterward. The health problems before the Paris Games were "a turning point" in her life, she said. This situation "honestly, truly shook her," Titmus added. She doesn't have any concrete plans for the future yet.